Oral (mouth) and nasopharyngeal (back of nose) cancers are sometimes called Asian cancers because up to 80% of these cancers occur in this region. However, despite the recent advances in cancer management, the number of oral cancer patients who survive oral cancer remains low and this has not changed significantly over the past 30 years.

Why is this so? In part, this is because the molecules and genes that affect the development of mouth and nose cancers among Asians are not well established. By looking at how our cells work, we can identify specific molecules and genes that cause cancer, and develop targeted therapies for cancer that have fewer side effects in comparison to conventional therapies.

At CARIF, our research efforts have focused on identifying and developing molecular targets for detecting and treating mouth and nose cancer, determining the usefulness and effectiveness of new therapies and identifying the factors that increase an individual’s risk to these two cancers.